Hi Mario,
I know that the order is of July 1943 and includes a new template, but take in account that Yakovlev introduced the black/green camouflage on many of his Yaks already in 1940, at least six months before it was officialized.
The NKAP order and the Air Force determined the procedure for the introduction of the new camouflage patterns in practice. Delivery of all necessary enamels should be provided by 25 July [1943]. For the release of the new camouflage fighters were scheduled from 15 July, the remaining aircraft - from 1 August, but before that date, from July 15, prescribed in the existing two-colour production machines to replace the black on dark gray. Prior to receiving the standard gray-blue and dark gray colours they were allowed to use a mixture of nitroemaley of AMT-7 (blue) and AMT-6 (black) or oil A-26m and A-28m, made by special instructions and standards of the VIAM. Such a blending of colours had never before been allowed, such was the special urgency of introducing a new camouflage. Documentary evidence of the use of mixtures of dyes were found as well as the ?special? guidelines and standards. However, to exclude their use in the initial stage of implementation of the new camouflage cannot be made. In this case, the colours of enamel might have significantly differed from the AMT-11 and AMT-12 (A-32m).
So, in July 1943 they received instructions to obtain grey paints by mixing black and light blue. They could have donr the same in late 1942. But why?
Let's see, how are we looking at wooden structure and skinned aircraft. Plywood was attached to the frame and was covered with two layers of nitrokleya. Then a thin layer of putty was applied, then again the nitrokleya layer, and finally the cloth was attached, which was covered with two layers of shpatpevki, primers layer dope AN Al (in wartime, this layer cannot be), and two layers of AMT dope.
In late 1942 - early 1943 NKHP factory in Chelyabinsk and Novosibirsk in nitroshpatlevke AL-22 short lead kroons, which is included in its composition, was replaced in iron minium. This shpatpevka was applied to aviation all winter and spring. During the summer heat the layer shpatpevki had internal stresses, causing the paint layer to crack. Through the cracks penetrated moisture, which sharply reduced the strength of the attaching skin and led to its isolation. Cracking happened for about a thousand aircraft painted with the use of this shpatpevki. ?Greshipi? this fighter Yak-7 plants, number 153, Yak-1 plant number 292 and La-5 plants number 21 and number 99. Machines lost their fighting efficiency. Abandoned in front of the factory team for two or three weeks back in operation defective aircraft, and literally within two or three days after the completion of writes A.S. Yakovlev, began the famous battle on the Orel-Kursk direction.
Thus, the defect was the cause of poor quality coating, a formula which forcibly took the lead crowns. As can be seen, to solve the deficit problem by filling it was not possible. But the lead crowns belonged to the green enamel A-24m and AMT-4. If you cannot abandon it in the fillings, it may be to reduce the flow of paint on the [crown]? Reserve formulae include the possibility of replacing the krona and milori with one pigment - green oxide of chromium, and chromium oxide was scarce: in 1943 according to the NKAP there was only 53.8% of the required amount. Cannot proved and the replacement of lead krone to another - zinc: in March 1943 in ?with complete absence of zinc krone? halted production of soil ALG-1 and ALG-5. The answer remained one - drastically reduce the production of green enamel. ?Plans ...? 1943, just respond to such a solution: the most massive class of aircraft - fighters - green is missing completely, as for other machines the need for green colours was to be reduced by more than 1.6 times.
So, they have changed the wood primer with a worst one because lead was scarce, and lead was a component of AMT-4, aside chromium oxide that was scarce too. So, there is a reason for an anticipation of what was later officialized.
Again, the only other alternative interpretation that I see is the one of tractor green, because the lighter color clearly isn't the same AMT-4 of the other planes of the first photo.
Couldn't anyone ask the opinion of the Russian colleagues on the interpretation of these photos?
Regards
Massimo